1. I am tired of living in my country and think I want to live in Thailand. What should I do?

Before you sell all of your belongings and move to Thailand, come for a two-week holiday and relax. Visit Thailand once or twice and think about how you would go about living in the the country. Then come back and give living in Thailand a try for six to twelve months. Then make your decision. Living in Thailand for the long term is different from vacationing.

2. Where is the best place to live in Thailand?

How do I know? Seriously, you don't expect much from me, do you? Some people like Pattaya, I don't. Some people like Chiang Mai, , others like Hua Hin. Personally, I prefer the more southern cities; Krabi, Hua Hin, Surat Thani and Nakorn Si Thammarat. Notice I left out Phuket. Just like Pattaya, I view Phuket as a tourist trap and it's not for me.

So what's answer to your question? Wherever you feel most comfortable. This is why it's a good idea to travel around the country during your 6-month to 1-year trial. Go wherever interests you and stay for a few weeks or so, gauging whether or not you can live there.

3. What is the best thing about living in Thailand?

The freedom from people telling you what to do, the food, and the laid back lifestyle. If you're single, Thai women are always a plus too.

4. What are the worst things about living in Thailand?

The heat, humidity, traffic and occasionally, the discrimination.

5. Do I need to learn Thai?

I think it is a plus to learn the language. You can always play dumb and claim you don't speak the language, but knowing it carries more advantages than disadvantages. It's one more tool available in the toolbox.

If you're under 50, the non-immigrant B works well. You'll need to start a business or a job though. If you're over 50 and earn 65,000 baht-plus or have 800,000 baht in the bank, you qualify for a non-immigrant O-A visa, more commonly referred to as a retirement visa.

7. When is the best time of year to come to Thailand?

The best time to come to Thailand is when you have the time and money. Thailand is always hot so you're not going to get around the heat.

March - May (Hot) - At best, Thailand is warm, but most of the time it is flat out hot. This heat is compounded by the harsh humidity.

June - October (Rainy) - one worry for some people is the rain. The majority of time, the rain comes in short spells. People here learn to work around the rain and live with it so don't let the threat of rain keep you from coming.

November - February (Cool) - Thailand is always warm but since these months are the mildest of the year, this period is deemed the cool season. The mountains in the north are the only place that ever truly gets cool.

8. Why are you so against getting involved with a bar girl?

Get your head on straight before coming here. Most men would not marry a prostitute in their own country, why would you get involved with one here? There are plenty of educated, decent, available Thai women. It's hard enough making a relationship work. Why make it more difficult by marrying a prostitute? Seriously, it's up to you, but 99.9% of the time, your working girl is a prostitute, plain and simple. If this is acceptable to you, go for it, but don't be surprised if the relationship is all about showing your girl the m-o-n-e-y.

9. Can I own land in Thailand.

If you have a legitimate Thai business, the business can purchase or lease the land, but otherwise, no. You can, however, purchase a condominium.

10. What are the biggest misconceptions about Thais and Thailand?

While certain segments of Thailand are poor, there are many, many Thai people who are quite well off. Much of what comes out of the country is sensationalized. Also, Thai women tend to be relatively conservative, more conservative than most men tend to believe. This is slowly changing but don't expect every Thai woman who smiles at you to go out or jump in the sack with you. Only a small percentage of Thai women are prostitutes.